“I know, Ave. I just needed to know that he wouldn't walk away when he found out. If he had reacted badly, I would never have granted him sanctuary. Plus, maybe I was trying to run him off a little… maybe.” He paused for a moment or two, “Forgive me?”
“Did you tell him all the rest, too?”
A sigh preceded his answer, “Yeah, I told him everything.”
She sank down on the top step to sit, looking out over the property. He came out and sat beside her. “Why did you grant him sanctuary?”
“You know why. I told you the night I did it.”
“Then why are you so pissed off at me for spending time with him?”
He sighed again, long and deep before answering her, “I’m not. Not really. I’m mourning the loss of my Ave. I’m mourning the loss of what I thought I wanted. I’m looking around and realizing that you’ve found it. You’ve found your Mate, and you’re human. You weren't even fucking looking, and you found him. I’ve been looking since I was old enough to know what it means, and she’s just not fucking here. I can’t find her, Ave. Maybe I wasn't given one. Maybe she died before I found her. I don’t know. But I’m definitely too fucking pitiful sitting here whining about not finding mine, while you did.” Then he looked at her and took her hands in his. “I love you, Avaleigh. I always will. You’ll always have a special place in my heart that is yours alone even if I do find her. But I have to allow you to go where your heart leads. And it’s to him, isn't it?”
She was looking at his hands holding hers, running his thumbs across the backs of her hands as he talked. “I don’t know. I think it’s him, but then I think about his Dragon, and I almost hyperventilate. I want him. I trust him, can you believe that? Trust him, but not the Dragon. I just don’t know if I will ever be able to look at his beast without seeing Lurin. It’s not fair to make him hide his beast just because of my irrational fear.”
“It’s not irrational, he knows what you’ve been through. Maybe if you just take it slow. Give him time to grow on you…”
“Yeah, we’ll see. So are we okay? I don’t like feeling like you’re mad at me. It hurts. I need you, Kaid. Even if I choose Daniel, I’ll want to stay here. I don’t want to leave you or the guys. Is that possible? Can you be okay with that?”
He hugged her tight, rocking back and forth a little. “Aw, Ave, that’s why I granted him sanctuary. If he was going to claim you, then I was trying to make sure that he didn't steal you off in the middle of the night. I was giving him a chance at being clan so that he’d stay here with you. I never want to be without you here with us, and I know the guys feel the same, too. Understand?”
She nodded her head against him. “Do you think he’ll stay here if I choose him?”
He barked out a laugh, “I don’t know if you’ve noticed or not, but a Dragon submitted to a Bear, and agreed to respect that Bear as his Alpha. That Dragon could fucking incinerate me if he wanted to. He knows that; I know that. We have an unspoken understanding. He’s good to you, he respects me and the clan, and I let him live in my territory and allow him to function as clan and won’t hurt him. He’d stay, Avaleigh.”
“You just said he could incinerate you, and now you say you won’t hurt him?”
“I could hurt him, a lot, I just couldn't win against Dragon’s Fire. There’s not much that could.”
“I love you, Kaid.”
“I love you, too, baby. Can I call you baby again?”
“Yes, I’d like that, sorry for the things I said.”
“Sorry, I’ve been acting so butt hurt. I’m happy for you, truly. I’m just lonely, and you make Bear feel better. I’d thought maybe you’d be it. I know we aren't true Mates, but I’d thought it was close enough that it would be okay.”
“She’s out there, Kaid. Somewhere. We’ll find her.”
He looked at her with an eyebrow raised, “Oh, we will, will we?”
“Yep, I decided.”
They sat like that for a few minutes, his arm around her shoulders, her head leaning against him. “Want to help me fix the shutters up top? A few came loose in the storm last night.”
“Sure, I’ll help. Just let me clean up the kitchen real quick first.”
“I’m gonna run over to Bam’s shop and get the extension ladder. Just come out whenever you’re done, baby.” He kissed the end of her nose and stood up. She headed in to finish cleaning the kitchen from breakfast. She was feeling much better than she had in the last couple of days. Now if she could just manage to not want to pee herself at the thought of Daniel’s Dragon, they might just have a chance.
Chapter 16
A while later and Kaid still hadn't shown back up with the ladder. “Come on, Kaid, really?” she grouched as she finally gave in and marched down the stairs on her way to see what the hell was taking him so long. She’d been waiting outside for at least half an hour, and it had taken her another 15 minutes at least to clean the kitchen before that. She stomped her way down the path through the trees that led to Bam’s shop. Pulling leaves off of bushes and tearing little pieces of them off as she walked, bitching out loud to no one in particular. She was about halfway there when she heard the most terrifying sound she’d ever heard. It was a shrieking hiss, like chalk squeaking on a chalk board combined with a scream, a sound that made her blood run cold, a sound that she thought she’d never hear again. And then just when she thought that was the worst, she heard another. She heard Kaid's battle cry, his roar of attack. Lurin had found them, and Kaid was fighting him. Her heart stuttered, and she forgot to breathe as she stood there frozen. Kaid's outraged roar is what brought her back to life. She reached for her phone, intent on calling Daniel for help and at the same time realizing that she didn't have Daniel’s number. Kaid roared again, this time in pain, and she started running in that direction, phone still in hand. Bane’s number came up first, and she pressed it and started yelling into the phone almost before he even answered it, “He’s here!!!” she screamed at Bane, “He’s found us, he’s hurting Kaid, come now!!” she yelled at him. She dropped the phone as she ran on through the trees looking for Kaid, following the sounds of the battle. Right before she dropped it, she thought she heard him yelling back at her, saying that they were almost home, to just hold on. God she hoped she’d heard right, because she was heading into battle with Kaid. There was no way in hell she was going to hide while he fought that monster for his life. As she ran, the sounds suddenly stopped, every sound, except for that damn hissing, and she knew. She knew he was crushing Kaid. She ran faster and finally burst through the trees about halfway between her home and Bam’s. And there he was, Lurin’s serpent with the Dragon’s head, open gashes running sporadically down the length of his body profusely dripping blood, but still holding Kaid's Bear in the air as he crushed the life out of him. Kaid's eyes met hers and then flashed toward the woods. He was trying to make her leave him and hide. No fucking way! She shook her head and marched up to Lurin and kicked his fucking serpent just as hard as she could right in one of the wounds that Kaid had opened on him. He screech hissed and stopped writhing around Kaid long enough to look down at her with one huge evil fucking eye. His Dragon’s maw pulled back into a sick smile as he dropped Kaid onto the ground and immediately wrapped her up instead. She was fucking terrified, but there was no way she’d give him the satisfaction of knowing that. She could hear Kaid gasping for breath, so she knew he was alive. That was good enough for now. She’d managed to save Kaid, but now she had to deal with the fact that she’d traded herself for Kaid. “No regrets!” she shouted for Kaid to hear. “I’ll give myself for your safety every single time, Kaid!” Then she reared back and punched the serpent dead center of his fucking eye. The serpent shrieked his horrid hissing roar, and she saw Kaid attack him again from the corner of her eye, his battle cry a little weaker this time, but still frightening as all hell. Then she couldn't hear anything anymore, and she hunched in on herself at the roar that drowned out all other noises. She had her hands up over her
ears to stop the pain from the roar that had come from above them, the roar that had the serpent flashing his eyes toward the skies, taking his attention off of her and Kaid both as they took the opportunity to continue attacking him. Then there was a shadow over the trees, blocking out the sun as it circled above them. The serpent moved Avaleigh to above his head as he held her wound in the upper section of his body and grabbed Kaid with his tail and lifted him over the lower portion of his body, holding them almost as a shield against whatever it was. The roar sounded overhead again, and they could hear their guys as they ran through the trees toward them, shouting for them, that they were coming. Then with the next ear-splitting roar from above, a blast of flame burned away the tops of the trees, and there he was, Daniel’s Dragon. Circling above them, breathing flames to clear away the tree tops so that he could see them. He was shiny black with purplish shadowing, beautiful, graceful and death on wings. The serpent saw him and began to squeeze them even more tightly, trying to slither away into the cover of the trees. Kaid roared, and Avaleigh screamed, both obvious sounds of pain. Daniel was flying directly at them in a dive now, focused on them, and she could see the orange of his eyes growing bigger as he approached. She knew they were going to die by his Dragon’s Fire. No! She tried to scream at him, tried to stop him, but she had no breath left to fuel her voice. She looked at Kaid where he hung just below her and he met her eyes, and his Bear was… smiling? Smiling?! Really?! They were about to be roasted, and Bear was smiling? Maybe he didn't see Daniel coming for them. “I’m sorry,” she managed to mouth to him — she had no breath for voice. “I love you, Kaid,” there, she’d at least managed to say, well, mouth her goodbye. She turned her face to look at Daniel as he swooped in ever closer to them, and his eyes were locked on her, his Dragon looking right at her as he opened his giant maw to breathe fire at Lurin. Does he not realize that we’ll all roast with Lurin? Avaleigh thought to herself. Just as he released his fire, the rest of her guys burst through the trees, all shifting and attacking the serpent anywhere they could reach it except for Goldy who couldn't shift, but his steady stream of, “Kill you, you mother fucker,” let her know he was also in the fray, probably with blade in hand, his strength unshifted, nothing to scoff at. No, she thought desperately, they were all going to die. Turned to ash by Daniel’s Dragon as he tried to save them. Then it happened. Light all around her. She couldn't see anything, so she closed her eyes. All she could hear was a constant roar, not like that of a beast, but like the sound of the waves at the ocean. She felt warmth, but no burning. Well, this isn’t so bad, she thought. I mean if you gotta go, you know, at least it doesn't hurt. Shouldn't be much longer, and I’ll be gone. And then, and then, — nothing. ‘Til she felt herself being lifted up gently and peeked one eye open to see Daniel’s Dragon had wrapped her in his claw and was lifting her away from Lurin, who was frozen in place like one of those ash snakes that you get at fireworks stands on the Fourth of July or New Years Eve. He lifted her while beating his giant wings to keep himself afloat, then landed and gently placed her on her feet a short distance from the ash snake that was Lurin. She dropped to her knees, leaning over to get a good, deep breath. Not wanting to turn around to see her guys all turned to ash, but she had no choice, she had to know. The pain of knowing that she lived and they didn't would never be overcome — she was ripped apart and sobbing as the reality of it set in. She sat on the ground and turned to look at them and found… Goldy kicking the ash snake wherever he could reach it, still cursing a blue streak and calling it everything but a child of God. Bane and Bam methodically swiping at the ashes with their huge Bear paws, where the ashes still stood in the shape of Lurin’s serpent, in an effort to make enough of it collapse so that it would drop Kaid to the ground, — a still living, breathing Kaid. Mav had shifted back and was busy hacking away at the serpent’s dragon head with a hatchet, steady stream of curses flowing from his mouth as he swung that axe at the ashen head. They were alive. She didn't know how, but they were alive. Avaleigh sobbed in relief now instead of pain as she realized that they were okay — they had all survived. Daniel’s Dragon reached up with one clawed hand and lifted Kaid from the ashes where he was still held precariously in place. He placed Kaid on the ground next to Avaleigh and backed up several feet from them. She crawled over the ground to get to where Kaid now sat on his ass still in his Bear form and threw herself onto him. He wrapped her up into his big furry arms, and they sat there like that, just holding each other, Avaleigh crying. She hated fucking crying, so she really needed to stop this crap. Gradually, one by one, all of her guys came and joined them. They held each other and just took a moment to be happy and to revel in the fact that they were still here, together. Bane, Bam and Kaid shifted back. Kaid motioned over his head at Dragon, just sitting there, quietly watching. Sitting almost catlike with his legs tucked under him, and his head balanced gracefully on his great neck, watching, missing nothing. He looked sad, resigned. And Avaleigh realized that he thought that she wanted Kaid. He probably saw her tell Kaid goodbye and thought that she was in love with Kaid. Avaleigh got up and walked toward him, shakily, but she managed it. As she got closer, she started speaking to him. He lowered his head to watch her approach. “You thought I chose Kaid. You thought I was in love with Kaid, and you still saved him.” He inclined his huge head to indicate yes. “You saved him so that I could be happy, even if it was with another male.” Again, he inclined his head, yes. She moved even closer to him and lifted her hand out toward him slowly. He turned his head so that he could see what she was doing with one huge eye. As she reached out to him, he lowered his nose toward her, and she stroked the tip of his nose with her hand, then with two hands. His skin was warm and soft. Not cold and hard like you’d think it would be. She kept stroking him, and he started a low rumbling purr. She stepped back so that she could see that huge orange eye, “I choose you, Daniel.” The rumble stopped, and he lifted back a little more so that he could see her with both eyes again. “And I choose you, too, Dragon. You’re mine, Daniel’s mine. And I’m yours, if you’ll have me.” Dragon slowly lowered his head again, stuck out his tongue and licked her, head to toe. Okay, could have done without that. Then the wind picked up, started a swirl around Dragon. Grey clouds formed and were sucked into the swirl, the leaves around them started fluttering, her hair was being picked up and blown around. The swirl sucked tighter into what could only be described as a vortex, then suddenly Dragon shrank down, and in his place stood Daniel. The vortex got smaller until it disappeared taking the grey clouds with it, and the winds died down almost immediately. Then he was striding toward her, her Daniel, and he wrapped her into his arms just as tightly as she held him.
“About fucking time,” Mav piped up from behind them. “Can we go home now? I want a shower and damn it, Avaleigh, after this you owe me a lasagna. I want a big one, too, with lots of sauce.” All of this was said as he made his way over to them with everybody else as they wrapped their arms around Avaleigh and her Dragon, and they around them. “Cool wind thing you got going on there though,” Mav winked at Daniel. “I get it now, Daniel GreyStorm. But I still want a fucking lasagna.” Daniel just chuckled at him. They all did. They were alive. Lurin had come for them, and they had won. There was no more danger for them. The clan could rest easy now.
Back in the main house, they all sat around the table together. Daniel and Avaleigh had showered, and she was wearing one of Daniel’s shirts and her sleep shorts with a towel in her hair. Daniel wore only his jeans. Kaid and Goldy had both showered and were sitting at the table with them. Bane and Bam had run to Avaleigh’s house to shower and were both back now, also wearing just their jeans. They were waiting on Mav to join them; he was the last one in the shower, and, yes, he did bitch about it. Avaleigh was sipping on a hot spearmint tea, and her guys were for the most part drinking beer. They were just enjoying being there, together. She still couldn't quite wrap her mind around all that had happened. As Mav came into the room, she asked the questi
on that had been in the back of her head since she’d started to think clearly again. “Why are we alive? Shouldn't we all be ashes?” She turned to look at Daniel on whose lap she was perched.
“You’re a Dragon’s Mate, love. Your Dragon’s Fire will never hurt you,” he answered her as he dropped a chaste kiss on her shoulder.
She grinned, “Cool, I like that. But what about the guys, why were they not hurt?”
Daniel and Kaid exchanged a look, and she sat up a little straighter as she looked between them.
“Yeah, how the hell are we not roasted, too?” Mav wanted to know as he took his own seat, wearing nothing but his boxer briefs. He looked back and forth between Daniel and Kaid, as was everybody else. But the others seemed not surprised at all. Mav was the only one who was as surprised as she was.
Daniel raised an eyebrow at Kaid, and Kaid gave him an affirmative nod. “I gave all of you my Dragon’s blood. It’s how my Dragon was able to breathe his fire on you, and you not be affected.”
Mav was the only one who spoke up, “Huh? I didn't take your blood. I was pissed off at you making my darlin’ unhappy, and I wouldn't have had any part of you no matter what you offered.” He crossed his arms and sat back smugly.
“Yep, that’s why I put it in your coffee,” Kaid answered.
Mav’s mouth hung open and he sat forward and gaped at Kaid. “You slipped a Dragon’s blood into my coffee, and you didn't tell me?” Mav said, outraged, maybe feigning it, she wasn't sure yet.
I'm Not A Dragon's Mate! Page 17
